The recovery rate from construction and demolition waste has been rising steadily in Australia. However, the use of recycled materials is still not the norm across the construction industry.
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Articles on Construction materials
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As more people move into high fire-risk areas, an architect explains what to do to keep properties as safe as possible.
As more companies feature wood and other bio-based products in their offices, what are opportunities and limitations of making corporate net-zero carbon pledges about building materials?
Construction and demolition creates more waste than any other sector, but much of it can be recycled. However, public resistance to setting up new plants stands in the way of a sustainable market.
Since the Grenfell Tower fire claimed 72 lives in 2017, Australia has identified flammable cladding on more than 3,400 buildings. Despite apartment owners’ fears and rising costs, few have been fixed.
A building designed to be easily taken apart so the components can be reused is a model for much less wasteful construction. It reduces resource use and environmental impacts, and can be cheaper too.
Plastics are strong, durable, waterproof, lightweight, easy to mould, and recyclable – all key properties for construction materials.
Bricks turn out to be useful for storing electricity thanks to their porousness and red pigment.
Researchers are turning microbes into microscopic construction crews by altering their DNA to make them produce building materials. The work could lead to more sustainable buildings.
The cement needed to make concrete – the most widely used man-made material – is a major source of global emissions. Researchers are working on a green replacement that could transform the sector.
Top contributors
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Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University
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Associate Dean and Head of of Project Management, RMIT University
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Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University
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Associate professor, The University of Western Australia
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Research Fellow in Sustainability Buildings, Curtin University
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Director, Glowpear, Board member, ISDRS, Vice President, AHA and Senior Lecturer in Industrial Design, RMIT University
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Associate Professor of Engineering, Western Sydney University
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Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, & Vice-Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies, Toronto Metropolitan University
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PhD Candidate, School of Engineering and Information Technology, UNSW Sydney
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Technical and R&D Manager, UBIQ Technology Pty Ltd, Western Sydney University
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Assistant Professor of Architectural Engineering and Materials Science, University of Colorado Boulder
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Researcher on Plastics Recycling and Sustainability, University of Minho
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Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Washington University in St Louis
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Professor and Director, Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute, Curtin University
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PhD researcher, Curtin University
